


Sick Day

by teej_318



Series: Promptober 2019 [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Caring Mike Wheeler, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Mike Wheeler is a good friend, Mike takes care of Will when he's sick, Protective Mike Wheeler, Sick Fic, Sick Will, Tooth Rotting Fluff, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-23 02:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20884574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: Will is sick with a cold and Joyce has to work. Luckily, Mike Wheeler is available and willing to take care of his best friend.





	Sick Day

Mike picked up the phone in the living room, wondering who would be calling this early on a Saturday.

"Hello, Wheeler residence," he said in a dull voice. 

"Mike, oh thank goodness!" Mrs. Byers exclaimed.

"Hey, Mrs. Byers, what's up?"

"Long story short: Will is sick and I got called into work. Jonathan is out at a photography exhibit and I don't want to leave Will by himself. Is there any way you could come over and just stay with him today until I get back? I wouldn't ask, but I really don't think he should be by himself when he's sick, especially since the anniversary of everything that happened is coming up..."

"Of course, Mrs. Byers," Mike said quickly. "I'll come and take care of him. You don't have to worry about a thing. Let me just grab some things and then I'll be right over, okay?"

"Oh you're a lifesaver, Mike, thank you."

"No problem," Mike said. "See you in a little bit."

With that, Mike hung up the phone and hurried upstairs to take a shower and get dressed properly.

* * *

Within half an hour, Mike was knocking on the front door of the Byers house. His backpack was filled with everything he thought Will would need to start feeling better and Mike was hoping that the Byers house would have everything else he thought was needed.

He had barely knocked on the door when it opened and Mrs. Byers stood there, looking relieved.

"Thank you so much for coming, sweetie," she said, shooing Mike into the house. "I'm sorry you won't get to enjoy your Saturday at home."

"Are you kidding? This beats just sitting around at home while everyone else is out shopping. I just pretended I was still sleeping when Mom came to get me and I got out of it."

Joyce chuckled while Mike beamed at her. He shook his backpack off and set it down on the couch.

"I brought him some soup and crackers, some extra medicine we had and some movies and comic books. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is, Mike. That was so thoughtful of you."

Mike shrugged.

"I just want to make sure he's taken care of while I'm here. Do you have stuff to make grilled cheese?"

Mrs. Byers nodded. 

"Everything you need should be in the kitchen. Now, listen, Mike, he doesn't quite know that you're here because he fell back asleep after I took his temperature this morning, but I imagine he'll wake up soon. Just make sure he doesn't move too much and that he gets plenty of rest."

"Not to worry, Mrs. Byers. That's why I'm here: to do all the heavy lifting."

"Thank you, sweetie," Mrs. Byers repeated. She bent down and gave Mike a kiss on the forehead. "You're really a lifesaver. Now, I'd better get going. I left the phone number for the store on the fridge. Call me around lunchtime and let me know how he's doing, okay?"

"I will, Mrs. Byers. Promise."

Mrs. Byers smiled at him and picked up her jacket and keys, hurrying out of the living room and through the front door again. 

Mike pulled a comic out of his backpack and slowly made his way to Will's room, hoping not to disturb his best friend from sleeping. Will was sleeping peacefully and seeing him resting brought warm feelings to Mike's heart, even if Will did look paler than normal. Mike sat down at Will's desk and quietly opened the comic and started to read.

When he was about halfway through the comic, Mike heard Will stirring in bed.

"Mom?" Will croaked.

"Hey, Willie," Mike said quietly so as not to startle Will. "She had to go to work so I'm here."

"Mikey?" 

Mike smiled as he stood up, setting the comic down on the desk, and walked over to Will. 

"Yeah, buddy, it's me. I'm here."

"Why are you here? Won't you get sick too?"

"Don't worry about it, Will. I wanted to come and take care of you."

"But..."

"Hey, did you really expect me to make you stay at home by yourself when you're sick, Will?"

Will sighed and shook his head. Mike grinned at him.

"That's what I thought," he said, bending down and placing a hand on Will's forehead. "You're feeling pretty warm. How do you feel?"

"I ache all over," Will said, wincing slightly as he tried to adjust his position in bed. "My throat hurts and my head is throbbing."

Mike nodded.

"Okay, well how about this: I'll go and draw you a warm bath. You need to get out of those clothes, Will. I'll get your bedding cleaned too and get the couch ready for you. How does that sound, Will?"

"Mike, don't go to too much trouble for me," Will started but Mike cut him off.

"It's no trouble, Will. I want to do it. That's why I'm here."

Will sighed and nodded, giving Mike the best smile he could muster.

"Okay," Mike said, hesitating slightly before he bent down and gave Will a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm just gonna get the bath started and then I'll help you to the bathroom."

Will nodded again, his face having gotten red since Mike kissed his forehead. Mike smiled at Will and hurried out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. He got the bath water running and grabbed a towel for Will to use before he walked back to Will's room.

"Okay, Will, just use me as leverage and I'll get you to the bathroom, okay? Don't use too much of your energy."

"Okay, Mike," Will whispered as he sat up in bed. 

Mike grabbed one of Will's arms gently and wrapped it over his shoulders and used the other arm to help Will stand up. Will leaned into Mike heavily when he was on his feet and Mike practically dragged him to the bathroom.

"You okay to get out of these clothes on your own, Will?"

Will nodded at him.

"All right. Then I'm gonna go get your bed stripped and go put it in the washer. I'll come and get your clothes too and get you something fresh to wear."

"Thanks, Mike,"

"You don't have to thank me, Will, but you're welcome."

Mike walked out of the bathroom and shut the door to give Will some privacy. He hurried back to Will's room and started to strip the bed. He managed to carry the sheets and pillow cases in one armful and the comforter in another to the laundry room and put everything into the washer before he walked back to the bathroom, knocked on the door and retrieved Will's pajamas and put them into the washer too. Once everything was inside, Mike started up the washer and went into the kitchen and washed his hands. 

Once his hands were washed, Mike dashed around the house to get the couch ready for Will to spend the day resting. He found a spare comforter in a closet and spread it over the couch, and grabbed two pillows from the closet for Will to lay on. Once satisfied that the couch was ready, Mike returned to the bathroom and knocked on the door again.

"Everything okay in there?" he asked playfully.

"It's just a bath, Mike," Will groaned from inside.

Mike giggled.

"I'll get you some fresh clothes, Will, and then you can get out and get dressed and come lay down on the couch."

"Okay, Mikey."

Mike smiled and walked to Will's room and opened the dresser. He pulled out a long t-shirt and sweatpants for Will to wear before he grabbed a long pair of socks and boxers for Will, too. Mike returned to the bathroom and set the clothes down on the toilet lid for Will.

"They're ready when you're done, Will. I'll just be in the living room. Holler if you need me."

"I will, Mike. Thanks."

Mike grinned at Will and left the bathroom again. He plopped down on the recliner in the living room and sat there waiting for Will, getting lost in his thoughts. About ten minutes later, Will appeared in the living room.

"Feeling any better?" Mike asked, standing up from the recliner and grabbing Will's hand and guiding him to the couch.

"A little," Will said. "My head still hurts but the rest of my body isn't as sore after the bath."

"Well, that's something," Mike said as he wrapped the comforter he had found around Will and Will adjusted his position on the couch. Once Will was snuggled in, Mike sat down on the coffee table. "Is there anything I can get you, Will?"

"Um, can you get me a warm washcloth and put it in on my forehead? That usually helps my headaches when I'm sick."

"Of course, I'll be right back," Mike said, leaping up and hurrying to the kitchen. He grabbed a washcloth and wet it with warm water. He folded it three times and returned to the living room. Mike gently placed the washcloth on Will's forehead and saw his friend visibly relax.

"Oh, thank you, Mikey. That's perfect."

Mike smiled.

"I'm just glad I could help. Um, Will? Do you mind if I gave your head a massage, too? My Mom usually does that and it really helps make my headaches go away."

"Sure, Mikey, if you think it will help."

Mike leaned forward and placed one of his hands gently in Will's hair and started to massage it gently. Will hummed as Mike ran his fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes. Within moments, Will was snoring lightly and Mike removed his hand, smiling. He then went into the kitchen and started preparing lunch.

As Mike predicted, Will woke up when Mike was nearly done making the grilled cheese and soup. Mike saw Will sit up on the couch and look toward the kitchen and Mike nodded at him. Mike walked into the kitchen with a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches for Will and himself and returned with two bowls of chicken noodle soup as well.

"This is the best cure for a cold," Mike declared proudly. "Mom taught me how to make grilled cheese properly like she does when I'm sick and it always makes me feel better."

"Thanks, Mikey," Will said as he sat up completely and took the plate Mike had set on the coffee table for him.

The two boys ate in a comfortable silence for about fifteen minutes. When they were done, Mike picked up the dirty dishes and returned them to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher. He then got some medicine from his backpack and got the right dosage ready for Will. As an afterthought, Mike also filled a glass of water for Will, knowing how bitter the medicine was and not wanting Will to have to endure the after taste for too long.

"Here," Mike said, handing the medicine to Will. "This will help you feel better. It doesn't taste great, but that means it works."

Will nodded at him and threw his head back as he took the medicine. Will grimaced at the taste and grabbed the glass of water Mike offered him and downed most of it as well. When Will was finished, Mike gave Will another smile.

"I brought all of the Star Wars movies to watch if you want to."

"Yeah of course," Will said happily. "Thanks, Mikey."

Mike just grinned at Will and stood up from the coffee table and retrieved his backpack. He put in the first movie and sat down on the recliner to watch it. Mike then jumped up again and hurried over to the phone to call Mrs. Byers as he had promised. Mrs. Byers was relieved that Will was doing better and thanked Mike again. Mike then plopped back down on the recliner just after the opening title finished rolling across the screen.

During the first two movies of the trilogy, both boys were quiet. Will dozed off several times, which made Mike think that the medicine was working to get all the stuff making Will sick out of him. When _ The Empire Strikes Back _ was over and Mike was standing up to put in _ Return of the Jedi, _ he turned to Will, who had just woken back up.

"How are you feeling, Willie?"

"About a thousand percent better," Will said in his normal voice. "I think this stupid illness is going away. I don't hurt anymore and I feel pretty normal."

Mike beamed at Will and put his hand on Will's forehead again.

"And you don't feel like you've got that fever anymore."

"Thanks again for everything today, Mike. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You don't have to say thank you, Will, but you're welcome. Again. We're best friends and this is what best friends do."

"Best friends also watch these movies sitting together," Will said as he sat up and threw the comforter off of him. "Will you sit next to me and watch?"

"Of course," Mike said, smiling. 

He put the movie into the VCR and sat down on the couch next to Will as it started up. Mike pulled Will in for a hug and they held each other tightly as the previews began. 

"I love you, Willie," Mike whispered.

"I love you too, Mikey," Will replied, giving Mike a warm smile.

Will held out his hand and Mike took it in his own, lacing their fingers together. Will then rested his head on Mike's shoulder as they turned to face the TV again. Mike laid his head on top of Will's. And that's how Joyce found them when she returned home, both of them having fallen asleep during the movie, holding hands and resting on each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot! The idea for it fell into my head just as I was napping and I pictured it taking place in October 1984, a few weeks before season two.
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)
> 
> You can also follow me [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/_tj_rigg) but just know that I'm super political on there, so don't follow me if you don't like politics.


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